Sugarcoat
by Bloodspinat
Summary: Like he does practically all day, Loki pays Tony a visit in his flat, but Tony isn't home. Jarvis of course is right there to show Loki a video message Tony left for him, but something feels wrong... Very wrong. - This is a FrostIron story, meaning Loki with Tony Stark, if you have problems with fictional gay relationships between fictional characters, please don't hate here :)
1. Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat

Slowly Loki opened his eyes. He smiled. Teleporting into Tony's flat became easier every time, and he had already lost count how many times he had done it. It had been months since their first private meeting and by now, Loki went and came as he liked. Quickly, he checked the rooms for Tony, but his dear wasn't home at the moment.

"Jarvis?" he asked, looking nowhere specific, enjoying the way his voice sounded when the sound was not reflected by every surface, like it was at home in Asgard all the time, but how it was absorbed by the carpet, couch and curtains of Tony's living room.

"Hello, sir. Have you had a nice day?" As always, there was no emotion in the computer's voice, though Tony had recently made some changes in the settings. The "sir" was one of them, and Loki loved him even more for it.

"Quite so, thank you for asking. Would you mind telling me when Mr. Stark comes home?" Loki was always very polite with the device. He knew it didn't care about that, but he did it kind of out of reflex, he was raised to talk back politely if someone did so to him, he did not even lie to Jarvis. He really had had a nice day, jumping back and forth between Midgard and Asgard doing what he liked to do, and checking every few hours if Tony was still working or already done. It was eight in the evening now, and usually Tony would have finished by now to spent the evening with him, but sometimes S.H.I.E.L.D. called with a new order for the Avengers, which delayed these plans a bit. Tony's absence did bother Loki a little, but he was able to cope with that for now, mostly out of excitement. While strolling through Paris this morning, invisible to the humans because they always seemed to have issues with his usual black-green-gold attire, he had decided to remove this special hindrance once and for all. Of course, he owned some Midgard-style clothes, but they were very formal. He wanted clothes he could show Tony later, that would make him look like a normal person to anybody who didn't know his face, so he came back with a green pullover, dark-blue jeans and a pair of black shoes that had a white circle with a darker colored star on them.

Jarvis answered a second later, so he did not disturb Loki's thoughts at all, of course. Loki was a higher being. His thoughts were fast. "He left a message for you a few hours ago. Would you like me to show it to you?"

"That would be great." His answer was followed by a few electronic sounds, then the screen closest to him came alive, with Tony's face on it.

"Hey Love" he said, a smirk widening on his face. "I'm out right now, you know, flying around somewhere and saving people, stuff like that. Don't worry, I'm not with some other girl right now, how could I? I'm yours, you know that." Tony smiled, something changing in his eyes. "I'll be fine and back at four in the morning, six at latest. I love you, babe. See you later." Tony winked and the screen went black.

It took Loki a while to become clear about his feelings after hearing this. He decided to call his current state of emotion insincerity. Somehow this felt off. Tony didn't call him "love" or "babe", he said "Loki", or, after one of his wonderful invincible smirks, he also used "Reindeer Games" sometimes. And anyway, what was he talking about, "some other girl"? Tony was gay; everybody close to him knew that, though he hadn't made it public yet, and Loki was pretty sure he could be counted as a man. His thoughts slowed down, he, who was older that some universes, stood still and shocked inside his lover's living room, feeling something change inside of him. The god of mischief replayed the message in his head, but he had known it right in the first place: On this video, Tony lied to him, in a way that did not require the ability to feed on lies and make them happen to understand. That again meant that he didn't lie out of treachery to Loki, those lies the god knew. They were created within seconds in the minds of people, covering something in haste. These lies were well-placed and would sound perfectly normal to anybody else… that was it. To anybody else… but who would hear this message? Jarvis had just said it, Tony had left the message for _Loki_. The computer would never play it to anybody else, even if the person asked for it directly. So why had Stark lied? Fear, Loki answered himself, fear and probably pressure. Fear that there might be someone capable of getting the message from Jarvis. But wasn't it impossible to hack this special system Tony had created all by himself? Which made the only logical option left that someone had been in here with Stark when he had recorded the video, someone who was not a friend of his, but on the contrary, had been and most likely still was hostile towards him and made him say this message. Just a fragment of a second Loki smiled, fondly thinking that only his incredible lover would be able to pull something as smart as these lies off in just a matter of seconds, but the happiness quickly faded as he realized what kind of situation Tony must have been in. To force him into that, the person had to be powerful, or must have had a weapon aimed straight at Tony. He or she might not even have been alone, for they had been able to keep Tony Stark in control inside his own house. Why hadn't Jarvis reacted? Probably they had also forced Tony to stop the system from defending him, he must even have deleted anything about what happened, otherwise the computer would have told Loki right away.

As the trickster became aware of his surroundings again, reappearing from deep within his mind, he also became aware of his emotional state. All the insincerity from the beginning was gone, and had been replaced by something that he had not felt in a long time. It was what the Avengers had fought against, and what before them Thor had tried so hard to get out of his brother. Loki's mind remembered the uncontrollable greed for power and acknowledgement, the wrath and destruction he used to fulfill his desires. It felt like he never had a break from it, as if there never had been a break he had enjoyed and loved, as it had given him things that he now considered precious. It seemed they were precious enough to him to fall again, to become one of the most feared beings alive once more. With a thought he was in his battle attire again, complete with his horned golden helmet and green cape, a golden spear forming in his hand. The clothes he had bought this morning lay neatly folded on the gray table in front of Tony's couch, he would show him these later. Loki was not sure whether Stark had done it on purpose or if he had said it accidentally, but in the video message, he had given Loki the only way the god could find him without simply taking apart any building on this planet. As he disappeared into nothing, the words "I'm yours" echoed in Loki's head.


	2. Coming In!

His landing caused the earth to rumble, the building before him shaking a little. Good, he thought. They should know he was coming.

He took a look around to see if he recognized any of his surroundings, and actually, this looked quite familiar to him. He was standing on an open street, in the middle of one of the many banking districts of New York, in front of one of these office buildings which all kind of looked the same to him anyway, but he recognised the way the trees were planted by the roadside. He had once accompanied Tony on the way to a restaurant and they had driven right past this place, unaware of what was happening here.

As his hand touched the doorknob, it took quite an amount of his self-control not to flinch. The walls of this building were drowning in pain, sorrow and death, some from long ago, others fresh. Loki did not even bother with opening the door, as he thought that Tony was somewhere in there, the door melted under his hands. As its particles hit the floor in steaming, hot drops, the woman at the counter let out scream and set off the alarm before Loki could snap her neck with a glare. Soon after, he heard multiple footsteps, most likely the security that was on its way. Judging by the the sound they made, they were armed and not just one or two big guys wearing a suit. Heavy security in an office building? Why not? Right after entering he had known this wasn't actually an office building. But what was it used for?

Loki wasted his time down here on purpose, he wanted to encounter the guards there in the foyer, for it provided enough space for him, and why should he bother and seek them out, they were coming anyway. As he listened to the footsteps growing louder, he felt his anger lighting up with new force. Humans would describe the feeling like hell conquering the inside of their head, but since the actual place was called Hel, run by his daughter Hella and, if anything, cold as ice, the analogy was kind of unfitting. Humanity's words would never be enough for a god.

The scream one of the security guards let out at the sight of the dead receptionist pulled him back into reality again. By now he was surrounded, eight well-trained men, pointing their guns at him.

"Down on your knees! Hands up where I can see them!" the man who was most likely their leader shouted. He liked that girl over there, Loki realized by the men's expression and the aggression that was almost seeping out of his skin.

"You know, not so long ago I ordered some mewling quims just like you to kneel before me, and they did. But unfortunately, you will not have that choice. You have something that belongs to me, and I'm very intent on getting it back, so…" No need to finish the sentence, he knew how disturbing his appearance alone was to humans. A few guards proved some instinct as they attempted to run when they saw Loki's raise his hand, but the god didn't care. He had long ago decided that besides him, Tony would be the only one to leave this place alive. With a movement of his finger, he stopped their hearts all at once.

Avoiding to step on the dead bodies he made his way upstairs, using the staircase, he was sure Tony was held captive on the highest floor, but he could not really sense anything directly Tony-related apart from his presence, there was too much of a distance between them. It was a funny thing, this "belonging together": He could always feel where Tony was, he would have found him if he was in Antarctica, but only in immediate near he would know what he was feeling, and as time passed and the band deepened, who knew, he might even be able to read his thoughts to a certain extent. Loki hadn't yet had the possibility to either tell Tony that such a link actually existed or to re-form the link to Tony, so for now, he could feel Tony's emotions, but it didn't work in the other direction. Maybe at the moment, that was for the best. He didn't know what his current state of mind would do to Tony's head, as intelligent as the man might be, he still only was human. With satisfaction he noticed that he was already making plans for their future, it verified to himself that he hadn't only hope of overcoming this disaster, he was sure of it.

After two rows of stairs, he got bored of them, also he seemingly non-stop encountered people, some left-off security, two cleaning ladies, but no one of real importance, and stepping over the dead bodies because he did not want to ruin his armour started to get annoying, so he decided to take the elevator straight to the top. Coming closer to Tony, he more and more disliked what he was sensing, it was till kind of muffled, but to a high percentage it was made up of pain and sorrow, but since it was Tony, there was also some resistance that would not break so easily mixed into that. Tony Stark was still fighting. Just you wait, Loki thought as the doors opened. He paced towards the end of the corridor that looked nothing like a part of an office building anymore, but more like something you might find in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, highly technical and sterile. There was nobody to be seen, no one yelling something at the sight of him, and the god liked it that way. He was sure they hadn't left Tony alone, and they shouldn't know there was someone coming. Loki wanted to see the surprise on their faces as he made them suffer more terrible than anybody on earth had ever suffered.

And then the door was right in front of him. No room number or name, nothing that indicated anything out of the ordinary was happening behind it, just a blank white door. But Loki knew there was. Tony's signal was as strong as never before, but now the pain was overlaying everything, he wasn't even sure whether he had actually felt the resistance coming from Tony or if he had just imagined it. Hopefully those who had inflicted that much pain on his beloved were still in there with him. They would pay.

**Soooo…. Oh. My. God. Somebody is actually reading this story?! I have follows and favourites, I can't believe it! Please leave a review if you have time to do it, this is also a call to those who don't have an FF-account because I have anonymous reviews activated ;) Please be really meticulous about my mistakes, be it words that aren't used normally, punctuation, grammar, spelling or whatever (if you want to, you can even include what you think about my story :D), this is your chance to play teacher, for English isn't my first language and I'm young enough to still learn something :D Thank you so, so much for reading, see you next chapter ;)**


	3. Found you!

**Hey guys ^^ I'm motivated, fangirling and back, so I guess it's time I continue writing some lovely Dark!Loki scenes :D (If you don't remember what Hiddleston's voice sounds like when he acts Loki, rewatch some scenes on YT and then read this chapter, having his voice inside your head while reading his part makes it a lot better :D) Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, every time I get another (and right now Thor's unforgettable "Another!" jumps to my mind xD) I'm inwardly dancing, I already have ideas for further chapters, so thank you very much and keep them coming ^^**

Kathy still couldn't believe it. Tony Stark! The real one, the inventor, billionaire, Iron Man! Ever since his first appearance she had dreamt of meeting him, talking to him, understanding him, and today, finally, her dream had come true.

_Taking his brain apart was so much fun._

When the mercenaries had brought him in he just stared, taking in his surroundings, cold and predicting, answering to none of their questions and without doubt working on an escape plan that would take effect shortly after and have him running back to that girl he had left a message for in no time. Now that Kathy thought about it, Stark would most likely go and get the Avengers first, then run back to his girlfriend, but it didn't really matter. She was prepared for that possibility. There had been many before them, they had all underestimated Tony Stark and they had all failed. But not them, they would be the first to overwhelm him and succeed. Not underestimating him was actually pretty easy, as soon as he sat down (or was forced to sit down, whatever) Kathy and her partner Louis sedated him with a drug Kathy had developed herself that ensured he wouldn't wake up all that early. It made her wonder how all his other enemies had ever managed to get a hold of him if they weren't even clever enough to simply neutralize his unparalleled mind.

Their orders were clear: Get as much information out of Tony Stark as you can. Kathy liked jobs like these best because they left a lot freedom for creativity. She hated clients who were all overly dramatic and used lines like "but make sure he doesn't die", seriously, how were you supposed to get dependable information when the patient was in too much pain for him to handle or a dead body? Of course she wouldn't kill him… not right away at least. She was ambitious, she wanted to fulfill the order to its very limits and find out everything there was to find out about Tony Stark before she let him die.

Also, why shouldn't she be? It was _her _field of science, _she_ had made it to what it was now, completely on her own, left alone in a world she was years, if not decades, ahead of. Louis was the first one to realize her potential, but he wasn't too smart, just right for her. He did anything she said and never spoke up to her because he knew who should be in charge of their business, and she appreciated the additional pair of hands that came in… well, handy, at certain occasions. Kathy chuckled to herself as she attached the last three electrodes she had left out in the first round which initiated round two. The system of using two steps was an act of caution to get the body used to the _method, _as she called it. That way, the body wasn't pressured too much and could handle it easier – therefore it lasted longer. Louis had already disinfected all the small spaces of skin on the man's head while she prepared the electronic parts, again she was glad she had gotten herself this assistant.

In the few hours she had spent with Stark so far, her admiration for the man had only grown. Even when in an artificial sleep, his brain activity never ceased to amaze her, carrying small bits of information right toward the small devices put inside his head. Of course they hadn't gotten anything important yet, just things that came to his mind more often, like blue prints, alcohol and surprisingly the image of the alien he had fought off with the Avengers some time ago, their first big thing as a group, maybe a psychological thing, something he couldn't get over? She wasn't sure yet, but no need to hurry, _everything had its time_. These were the words Kathy recited inside her head all the time she worked on him, like a mantra. This time it would be different, she promised herself. This time, the patient's brain wouldn't collapse before she said so.

She stopped at a sound that wasn't supposed to be heard here. Clapping. Somebody clapped his hands. Slowly she turned around, not knowing how to react yet, and saw the most bizarre thing she had ever encountered in her life. Right in front of her stood the man whose image had flashed over the screen next to her patient a few minutes ago, but his clothing was different, less leather and more metal and he was wearing a horned helmet. She wasn't sure why, but it was disturbing, like a fear she had had when she was younger and then forgotten. Then the clapping man started to talk and she knew she was lost.

"Wonderful, wonderful indeed. Your way of thinking, your lies, oh dear, it has been a long time since I allowed myself to take in an amount this high." He sighed, but his smile was wide and bright. "Your kind is rare nowadays, you know that? So many of you puny little beings are trying to be good and caring, to change the world for a better, that people like you are a delicacy of a kind to me. Thank you very much for that." Kathy noticed that he only talked to her and her alone. What about Louis? She thought, not sure whether she should dare to turn around to him. It was then that she noticed the smell of something burning, and her panic made her turn around. If the monitors…!

"!"

It was the only sound she was capable of at the sight of what it was that smelled of fire. In front of the bed where Tony Stark lay there was small pile of burning textile, leftovers of what looked like Louis' attire, courting black-gray ashes. Something dawned in the back of her mind.

"Oh, you noticed?" The man – the alien, she reminded herself – asked, seeming a little dissatisfied. "No need to tell me, it's a sloppy piece of work, I know, but it had to be fast and silent. I didn't want you to notice too soon so that you wouldn't get your hopes up, but well… now I guess I'll have to explain the situation, that is what mortals usually do, right?" Kathy felt herself nod, without actually willing her head to do so. Her body had gone completely still in every other way, too, her eyes focused on what was left of the first person she had trusted in a long time. And she felt something rising in her, something she was unfamiliar with. Fear.

"Yes, I thought so. Understanding your simple ways of thinking gets easier with every minute I spent in this realm… I'm guessing you know who I am, at least to a certain extent, and that, exactly that, is the mistake that you made, my dear." The being held up his finger as if to lecture a small child, a pitying expression on his face. "If you knew more about me, even a little, you'd know that you hurt someone _very_ precious to me, and that doing so will result in your life ending in multiple unpleasant ways _at the same time._" He bent forward, bringing his mouth very close to her ear, and the small few words he whispered increased her heart rate by a hundred and made her whole mind scream to run and hide as fast as she could, but she couldn't even do as much as shiver.

"I am Loki. Of Asgard. And I will make it happen that you suffer more than any human in this pitiful realm has ever suffered." With that threat presented, Loki turned around – and stared right into the barrel of a gun that was aimed at his face.

"And I'm Natasha Romanov 'of' Russia and will shoot you here and now if you don't back off, got it?" The Black Widow held her gun only a few inches from his face, standing right in front of him, but it was enough to see her emotionless expression.

"Agent Romanov. As always, the only person I have met in a long time that is able to sneak up on me. I'm impressed. But don't you think we should decide who the guilty one is at another time…" He said while reaching out to the fabric of her black suit to lower her arm.

"How about you don't touch her even the slightest and we decide it now before I pierce that weird helmet of yours with an explosive arrow?" Somebody asked from behind him, and Loki could hear the drawing of a bow. Of course, he thought, Natasha never worked alone.

"Barton. Are the others coming, too? Because if they are, make sure to tell Mr. Banner to brace himself, because that person over there" He pointed towards the bed "Is Tony." The two assassins sharply sucked in their breaths, Natasha's expression showing shock for a mere second, before it went cold again. Naturally, they hadn't recognized their teammate under all these wires, with the blood all over his face and the pain flooding out of every pore on his body… He had to stop. He had had himself in control all the time, and right now his wrath would not help him.

"What did you do?" Loki's eyes fixated on Natasha's while she asked, the unsaid _to him_ lingering in the air between them. How absurd, Loki thought. But then, of course. It was nothing but logical, from her point of view.

"It wasn't me. You know my methods, or at least your partner knows them," He allowed himself a little smirk at Barton, both of them remembering the time Loki had the agent's mind under his control "and anyways, why would I do that? And why would I take the time to march in here and kill every person I see if it was my idea? Think, agents, and let me go. I don't want to kill you."

"Why do you not want to kill us?" That question was asked by Barton, but he did not sound as determined as he did a few seconds ago.

"You know why. I never kept the reason from you, you just heard it, didn't you, Natasha? _I love Tony._" He tried to let his sincerity shine through, and the way he felt now that Tony was in that kind of state. He almost pleaded.

Seconds passed, and finally, Natasha and Clint lowered their weapons. Loki exhaled the breath he didn't know he had held. He had never come that close to killing an ally.

**Here you are, my patient readers ;) I almost hate myself a little for ending the story just here, but don't worry, the next chapter is in progress :D As I already said above, please leave me a review. I'm serious here, without you, I would have never had the motivation to write this chapter, but after reading all your lovely reviews at once, I was so fired up and see what happened :D Thank you so much, bye and 'til next chapter ;)**


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